Resume Your Way to a New Career: Your Achievements

We’ve reached the final installment of the Resume Your Way to a New Career series. You can go back and read the first two installments on the Career Summary and Key Skills sections of the resume. 

Ahhhhhh! The Achievements section! I love this section! If you've ever wanted to flat-out brag about yourself and your achievements with impunity but without people giving you serious side eyes, this will be your favorite section too. This is also the section for which  I have the hardest time getting clients to give me information. I so often hear “But I don't have any real accomplishments” or “I haven't achieved anything specific that's worth putting on my resume.” Nonsense! You didn't get where you are by doing nothing well and living la vida sans achievements. Yeah, saying you have no specific achievements is as nutty and nonsensical as me mixing 3 languages in that last sentence! You've done stuff. You've even done specific and quantifiable stuff. This post

will help you identify and rave about them on your resume.

Ideally, you should have an Achievements section for each position on your resume. If you have past annual reviews available, pull them out and review them. They usually have goals that you achieved and projects that you rocked included in them. Now make a list of those achieved goals and rocked projects, along with all the tasks and projects that you’re proud of but that isn't covered in those reviews. Pick out 3-4 things that stand out and try to quantify them. Think about by what percentage you increased sales or by how many days or hours you've improved a process. Maybe one or two of your achievements aren't quantifiable but they're specific. Maybe you received an award or wrote a significant document. Those also can be included in the Achievement section.

Below I give two examples of Achievement sections that I've used on resumes. I included these 2 examples because I wanted you to see a diversity of options.

In the first example, I only had one quantifiable achievement. However, my other listed achievements were promotion and specialized skill.

In the second example, I again listed a quantifiable achievement. Then I listed process improvements and important documents that I wrote that led to a more efficient and effective business.

An example of achievements in a legal position:

An example of achievements for a business position:

As you can see, there are many ways that you can showcase your achievements. Whichever method you choose, make sure that your bullet points are clear and concise. This is your time to shine and show off! Give the employer every reason to be impressed and see how your experience and skills would be assets to the company. Go out there and knock ‘em dead!

Tyche Tips

• Don’t be modest about your achievements!
• Make your examples specific and, when possible, quantifiable.
• Show the positive impact that your achievements had on your employers.
• Where possible, showcase achievements that highlight your transferable skills.

If you think these tips are great but want someone else to implement them, shoot me an email at [email protected] to discuss my resume writing services or check out my Services page at TycheCoaching.com to see how else I can help you during your career transition.